


Earth C => Give Honor

by hummingbirdbandit



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Earth C (Homestuck), F/M, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 18:57:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingbirdbandit/pseuds/hummingbirdbandit
Summary: The offering was different each year.  For as long as anyone could remember, on the twelfth day of the sixth perigree, an offering appeared at the statue of the God of Blood.





	Earth C => Give Honor

**Author's Note:**

> Jamfic from the Karkat Thirst Server.
> 
> We have completely sweet, beautiful ideas, and my angst-ridden brain has to ruin them. The idea was "what if on Earth C, people attach the manacles of the Signless (now associated with Karkat) to a fence/statue instead of attaching locks to things like they do at those bridges all over the world?" This story leapt to mind instantly.
> 
> Torkai Yarlng belongs to me, and Sursaa Hathor belongs to cyanideSweetheart, used with permission.

Torkai Yarlng carried a pair of steel-grey manacles clutched in his hand as he slipped through the crowded streets of New Can Town.  His matesprit was already waiting, and they didn't have much time before the statue's guards would usher everyone back for the event.  Thousands of trolls littered the streets, talking and laughing, hand in hand as they bought snacks and offerings from the pop-up stalls that sold items like the one clutched in his hand.  He looked around for Sursaa, hoping he wasn't too late - and caught her waving at him from across the square, her face lit in exhilaration.

Torkai pushed past a few seadwellers, doing his best not to hit his horns on anything, and approached his matesprit, who had returned to staring up at the enormous statue towering overhead.  It was beautiful - carved from dark slate and inlaid with crimson, the eyes of the God of Blood watched over the townsfolk as they went about their days. His face was curled into a scowl, brows eternally hitched into a determined grimace, but in his arms he gently cradled a grub with lime in his eyes.  It was said by scholars that the statue captured his likeness perfectly, and that it was created by the gods back when they still wandered Earth C themselves. None of the others were given statuaries. Then again, none of the other gods were dead.

Torkai grinned at Sursaa, and held up the manacles, carved with a heart and their names.  "Just in time. I wasn't sure if the old man was going to finish them in time." He took her hand, and together they reached up and attached the manacles to the base of the statue, following the tradition of thousands who came before them and solidifying their matespritship with this act of devotion.  Torkai kissed Sursaa's forehead with a smile. "I'm so glad to share this with you."

A bell rang through the town square, startling them both.  The crowd didn't have to be asked - they parted, clearing a path to the statue as if with one mind.  It was rarely necessary, but out of respect for tradition they participated anyway. Torkai sighed and squeezed Sursaa's hand in excitement.

"What do you think it will be this year?" she asked, looking up at Torkai.  He shrugged.

"I'm not sure.  It'll be hard to top last year."

The offering was different each year.  For as long as anyone could remember, on the twelfth day of the sixth perigree, an offering appeared at the statue of the God of Blood.  Many speculated on what previous offerings meant, or what the next would be, but they seemed so random that none could decipher their purpose.  An old book, pages frayed and covered in scribbles, left until the first storm superseding the festival when it swiftly vanished. A red cape, tied snugly around the grub's shoulders where it remained until the following year.  A stack of romantic comedies, so ancient that the digital storage devices within were incompatible with anything on Earth C. No matter what theories and rumors were woven into nursery rhymes and bedtime stories, there was always the one constant - the gifts were left by the God of Time, at the same moment each year, and they would be until the sun itself died out.  They were his way of mourning the loss of his love and closest friend and memorializing him for all to see.

Another bell, stronger this time, tolled through the square.  Only a minute, now. Torkai lifted Sursaa onto his shoulders, ignoring her playful complaints, to ensure she could see above the crowd.  The lights in the square glowed red, and the trolls in the town began to count down, quietly, a subtle hum beneath the chatter. At the count of one, a flash of light - and everyone gasped.

Sitting at the foot of the statue was a man, with hair and skin white as light.  He wore simple denim, a black sweater just too big for him, and dark glasses that covered his eyes.  His posture was casual, and weary. It was as if his audience didn't exist. To him, it may not have.  He let his head fall back against the statue, and his sigh carried through the now-silent square.

"Hey, Karkat.  It's been... well, I know exactly how long it's been, and I don't really wanna think about that on your day so instead I'm gonna pocket that train of thought for a sec and talk about something else."  A sad smile crept across the man's face, and he wrapped his arms around himself, tucking himself into the sweater. "I found the last one that smells like you, you know? Hiding back in some corner of Rose and Kanaya's house.  I guess you took it off while she was taking your measurements for the wedding and it got left there or something, I dunno. I don't understand women and their need to clean, but I'm glad Kanaya's workshop was immune to the vacuum or I wouldn't... have you with me, now."

The man drew a shaking breath and forged forward, voice clipped with emotion.  "They keep trying to keep me here. Dirk especially. He seems to think that everyone else can manage to keep themselves busy two four seven for eternity and never think about their problems.  And John... made some quip about not wanting to lose me like Terezi, who just fucked off into the void. Fuck, you remember, why am I..." He sighed. "Point is, I don't have anything left here for me without you.  And I'm, uh. I'm out of gifts, so."

Torkai watched, awestruck, as the man climbed to his feet.  At his full height, it's obvious that he's barely a man at all.  His face had the softness of a boy, and the world-weary sadness of a man who had lived far too long.  He waved at the crowd, as if seeing them for the first time, and laughed nervously. "Hey. Sup. Name's Dave Strider.  I, uh. This is quite a party, isn't it?" His hands found his hair and ran through it anxiously. "You should, uh. Keep this up.  Don't forget him. He's..." Even from his distance, Torkai caught the tear slipping out from beneath the shades. "He's important. Really fucking important.  If he knew about this celebration, he'd, uh." A laugh. "He'd probably throw a fucking fit, to be honest, something about resources better spent on someone actually worth a damn.  But he'd be grateful."

The man - Dave Strider, the God of Time - looked out over the crowd.  "I'm, uh. Leaving. I'm not gonna be back... maybe ever? Eternity is a long time and well.  There's someone waiting for me, out there. And I'm gonna find him. If you guys ever need me, send a message to the God of Light, she's... she's pretty good with finding people that don't wanna be found.  Hell, I'm not even sure if this dialect is still in use on this planet, I've been gone too long. Shit." Another tear falls. "Well, if y'all can understand me, be good to each other. When you find someone you love, don't let them go.  Fuck propriety and being cool or whatever, just... be happy." He searched the crowd for understanding and nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw. "Right. Off I go, then."

And with that, he vanished.  Torkai gently lowered Sursaa to the ground, his muscles aching suddenly from the strain.  A somber mood fell across the town, until a young voice rang out. "He said to keep celebrating," it said.  A limeblood girl, no more than five sweeps old, stepped into the path reserved for the God of Time's arrival.  She approached the base of the statue and held up her own offering - a bright red snuggleplane, which she wrapped around the God's feet.  "To keep him warm," she said, smiling up at her father.

 

\--tentacleTherapist [TT] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]--

TT: Dave.  I'm unsure when you are leaving, but please know that...

TT: We are always here if you feel the desire to return.

TT: Please stay in touch.

 

\--ectoBiologist [EB] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]--

EB: i can't believe you are running off like this!

EB: you don't even know for sure if he is out there, dave.

EB: we don't know what happens to people who die on earth c.

EB: what if he isn't in the bubbles, and we lose you forever????????

EB: ...

EB: please stay safe.

 

\--timaeusTestified [TT] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]--

TT: I'm proud of you.  I hope you find him.

TG: thanks, bro

\--turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT]--

 


End file.
